A wide range of portable devices are available. Some examples of such devices are: music players; media players; radio receivers; radio transceivers; global positioning systems; portable telephones (including cellular telephones, satellite telephones, radiotelephones and portable telephone handsets); CD players; portable computers; ultra-mobile computers; calculators; electronic games; personal digital assistants (PDAs); electrical testing equipment; flashlights; power tools; radio beacons and the like. These portable devices can be carried by hand. Because of their portable nature they may be used in a wide variety of different locations.
Portable electrically-powered devices may obtain electrical power from primary or secondary electrical batteries. Batteries have disadvantages as power sources including cost, possible environmental problems associated with manufacturing batteries and disposing of spent batteries and, in the case of secondary batteries, undesirably long recharging times.
Solar cells are used to power some portable devices. However, solar cells have the disadvantages that they only generate electricity when exposed to light and a large area of solar cells would be required to generate sufficient power for some devices.
Fuel cells can be a good source of electrical power for portable electrically-powered devices. Fuel cells convert chemical energy from a fuel directly into electricity (without combustion) by way of an electrochemical reaction. Fuel cells can be made to consume various fuels such as hydrogen, methanol, butane, formic acid, and borohydride compounds.
Hydrogen is attractive as a fuel since it is readily available and the by-product of the operation of a hydrogen fuel cell is water. Hydrogen may be supplied in the form of a high-pressure compressed gas. The use of a compressed gas reservoir to fuel portable devices is not ideal for a number of reasons. These include:                Cylinders or other vessels for storing compressed hydrogen are subject to stringent compressed gas codes and standards. Such vessels may not be readily approved for distribution and use in light-duty commercial or domestic environments.        Compressed gas may be perceived as dangerous by some. This attitude toward compressed gas may interfere with widespread consumer adoption of devices which require users to handle compressed hydrogen.        Vessels for holding compressed gas are not inexpensive. Commercially practical schemes for distributing compressed gas would typically involve delivery and exchange of cylinders of compressed hydrogen. Exchanging gas cylinders may prove difficult to implement in consumer settings.        Compressed hydrogen has a relatively low energy density in comparison to some other fuels.        
There remains a need for convenient, cost-effective methods and apparatus that can be used to provide hydrogen for use in portable devices and for portable devices suitable for use with such methods and apparatus.